The Terrors of Leopardscar 1: Conquest
by GraceShelby1031
Summary: When five cats receive powers, they are less than thrilled. Especially since a Dark Forest cat bestowed the powers upon them to take care of his long overdue revenge. Adopted story from Mossbush.
1. Allegiances

ThunderClan

Leader

Morningstar- pale yellow she-cat

Deputy

Rabbittail- brown tom with squashed face

Medicine Cat

Badgerbranch- black tom with white stripe along flank and no right hind leg, bitten off by fox when apprentice

Warriors

Sunfoot- bright orange she-cat

Apprentice, Buzzpaw

Bumbletail- black and white striped tom with unusually long tail

Sneezeheart- blue-gray tom with completely gray right front paw

Apprentice, Foxpaw

Bluestripe- blue-black tom

Vineflower- pale brown she-cat, missing eye from running into a thorn bush when a kit

Apprentice, Violetpaw

Runningfur- brown tom with white paws

Mistyclaw- black she-cat with gold and white specks and long claws

Alderfoot- gray tabby tom with white speckles

Frostflower- pale grey she-cat

Briarleaf- brown tabby she-cat

Ravenflight- smoky gray tom

Spottedpelt-brown tom with darker spots

Slatefang- gray long haired tom

Queens

Berrywhisker-golden tabby she-cat, mother of Sneezeheart's kits (Goldenkit, Silverkit)

Owlwing- pretty orange she-cat, mother of Ravenflight's kits (Hawkkit, Thrushkit, Featherkit)

Silverlight- silver she-cat, expecting Spottedpelt's kits

Woodtail- brown she-cat, expecting Bluestripe's kits

Apprentices

Buzzpaw- Black tom with white chest

Foxpaw- reddish-orange she-cat

Violetpaw- grey she-cat

Elders

Hollywing- reddish she-cat with white tail and paws

Lizardcloud- dark brown tabby tom

ShadowClan

Leader

Sandstar- yellow tabby tom with green eyes

Deputy

Smoky- dark grey with black paws and white star on forehead, tom, previously a rogue

Medicine Cat

Pineleaf- dark tortoiseshell she-cat

Warriors

Tawnysky- brown she-cat with lighter stripes

Apprentice, Sagepaw

Brighttail- white tom with chestnut sploches on flank

Echostream- broad-faced grey tom

Apprentice, Thrushpaw

Toadfur- black tom with white tipped tail

Cloverheart- silvery she-cat

Apprentice, Stonepaw

Deerpelt- pretty brown tabby she-cat with unusually short tail

Apprentice, Thistlepaw

Ashcloud- dark gray she-cat

Pebblebush- light gray tom

Marshclaw- brown tom with white sploches

Foxnose- orangey red tom

Moonglow- cream colored she-cat

Cedarflame- brown tabby tom with white paws

Tigerwhisker- orange tom

Queens 

Honeytail- light tan she-cat, mother of Echostream's kits (Adderkit)

Leafpelt- tortoiseshell she-cat, expecting Pebblebush's kits

Apprentices

Sagepaw- white she-cat with black splotches

Thrushpaw- yellowish tan tom

Stonepaw- light gray tom with long fur

Thistlepaw- gray spike-furred tom

Elder

Pouncewhisker- dark gay tom with lighter head and tail

RiverClan

Leader

Branchstar- tom with dark brown pelt

Deputy

Brambletail- brown tom with darker streaks

Medicine Cat

Berryheart- white she-cat with black spots

Warriors

Fishsplash- light tabby tom

Nightleaf- black she-cat with white tipped tail

Apprentice, Sharppaw

Ottertail- plain brown tom, missing eye from badger

Apprentice, Grasspaw

Lilypool- light gray she-cat

Finchpelt- pale yellow tom with light brown paws

Rockstorm- dark gray tom

Apprentice, Mothpaw

Yellowstripe- white tom with yellow stripe

Apprentice, Leafpaw

Cinderlight- long haired gray tom

Snowpelt- white she-cat with blue eyes

Apprentice, Deerpaw

Cherrystem- white she-cat with pink tail

Queens

Dawnmist- pale tortoiseshell she-cat, mother of Finchpelt's kits

Whiteflower- cream colored she-cat, mother of Fishsplash's kits

Moonsky- blind gray she cat, expecting Ottertail's kits

Apprentices

Sharppaw- long haired gray tom

Grasspaw- brown she-cat

Mothpaw- dark gray she-cat

Leafpaw- Dark tabby tom

Deerpaw- dark brown she-cat

Elders

Blackthorn- black tom with white muzzle

Milkleaf- cream she-cat

Tigerleap- orange tom

Mousefoot- dark brown tom with green eyes

WindClan

Leader

Briarstar- brown tabby she-cat

Deputy 

Streamripple- silver she-cat, substitute for Olivebranch

Apprentice, Harepaw

Medicine Cats

Beewing- black tom

Apprentice, Swiftpaw

Warriors

Duskfur- dark gray tom

Apprentice, Quickpaw

Tansycloud- light brown tabby she-cat

Tangleheart- pretty brown she-cat

Embertail- dark gray tom with lighter flecks

Eagleflight- fluffy white tom

Apprentice, Vinepaw

Wildbramble- yellow tom with mussed up fur

Umbberwhisker- reddish brown tabby tom with a white head

Stormfall- light gray tom

Bramblestep- brown she-cat

Jetpelt- black tom

Sunbeam- orange-yellow she-cat

Heatherfoot- light brown she-cat

Firetail- orange tom

Queen

Olivebranch- light gray she-cat, expecting Duskfur's kits

Apprentices

Harepaw- brown tom

Swiftpaw- light gray she-cat

Quickpaw- white tom

Vinepaw- dark brown she-cat

Elders

Redheart- reddish orange she-cat

Petalclaw- white she-cat

Lichentail- brown tabby she-cat with green eyes

SkyClan

Leader

Applestar- gray tabby she-cat

Deputy

Goldenfoot- golden tom with white tail and paws

Medicine Cat

Poppynose- brown she-cat

Apprentice, Rainpaw

Warriors

Stagheart- brown tom

Ryeleaf- light brown she-cat with darker spots

Apprentice, Leafpaw

Mapletail- brown tabby she-cat

Sagepelt- gray tabby tom

Apprentice, Oakpaw

Snowflight- white she-cat

Timberheart- reddish brown she-cat with green eyes

Sandwhisker- tan tom

Apprentice, Honeypaw

Grayfrost- light gray tom

Owlfeather- dark brown tom

Apprentice, Sprucepaw

Violetpetal- white she-cat

Apprentice, Talonpaw

Darkpelt- dark gray tom

Grassbreeze- gray and tan she-cat

Queens

Silkfern- light gray tabby she-cat, expecting Grayfrost's kits

Wrenflight- brown and black spotted she-cat, expecting Owlfeather's kits

Apprentices

Leafpaw- gray she-cat with white paws

Oakpaw- brown tom

Honeypaw- golden she-cat

Sprucepaw- brown tabby she-cat

Talonpaw- brownish-black tom

Elder

Morningbreeze- golden tabby she-cat

Cats Outside Clans

Bella- pure white she-cat, lives with two legs near RiverClan

Ghost- white tom, Bella's father, but a rogue

Snowberry- pretty white she-cat, previously from ShadowClan


	2. Chapter 1

**Mosskit**

"ShadowClan is invading the camp!" I was nearly trampled by all of the cats surrounding me. They all started fighting the opposing cats at once. My mother, Whiteflower, pushed me and my littermates into the nursery to protect us. Looking outside through a hole in the bramble walls, I saw Snowpelt face off against a black tom and Fishsplash, my father, fighting a brown she-cat. Her face was already splotched with blood and she looked like she was struggling.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a flash of cream-colored fur. Whiteflower was leaping into the fray! My first thought was if my mother would survive in the battle. Even though we were five moons old, I wanted my mother more than anything. Then I remembered that my mother was one of the best warriors that RiverClan had, and even though she was rusty from time in the nursery, the chance was really tiny that Whiteflower would die.

"Stop squirming, Mosskit! We'll have to call you Wormkit if you don't stop!" Shellkit, a kit I was least happy to share a den with, was yowling every cat's ears off almost half of the day. He thought that himself and Rosekit were the best kits in RiverClan, but his mother, Dawnmist, was always quick to scold him. Dawnmist always said (behind his back) that when Daisykit, Greykit, Cloudkit and I were born a few days after he had opened his eyes, his sourness doubled.

"I'm sorry, Shellkit. Your greatness shall not be disturbed by my squirming anymore."

"Really?"

"No. And, stop yelling like that. Do you want to get us all noticed by ShadowClan and killed?"

He shut up after that, much to my pleasure.

"ShadowClan, retreat!" Sandstar called. His cats all raced out of the camp cackling gleefully. They left several of their own cats weak from their wounds, not bothering to retrieve their bodies. I saw the last breath of an unrecognizable mottled brown tom before the light went out in his eyes.

The camp was a total mess, with pieces of moss scattered everywhere. A considerable chunk of the warrior's den was missing. I recognized Lilypool, Ottertail, and Cherrystem all limp, the first of the three left with a weird looking paw and the others were covered in scratches. I was no medicine cat, but it looked like they would live. Their wounds didn't look as serious as some other's were.

Whiteflower was found near the elder's den. Her fur was dyed red from all the blood seeping out of her body. Fishsplash quickly shielded me to prevent me from seeing "more than a young kit should."

Fear flooded my body. I might not have my mother anymore! I'd miss her warm smiles, loving appreciation, pride every time me or my littermates beat Shellkit or Rosekit at moss-ball. I wept as the old medicine cat for RiverClan, Berryheart, wobbled over.

"So many wounds!" she meowed. "I may have to consider taking on an apprentice! Now what do we have here?" Her face contorted as soon as she saw Whiteflower's body. "Fishsplash, Mosskit, I'm very sorry, but this wound is very hard to survive. If she has been here this long, she may be dead already."

**Mosskit**

I woke up in the nursery the next morning. I took a little bit to remember past events (especially with the weird dream of Shellkit and Sandstar frolicking in a patch of daisies together still fresh in my memory), but tears blurred my vision when I thought about yesterday. My mother now lay outside the camp, and probably lived with StarClan now. How could RiverClan go on without her? How can the sun still shine, the prey still run, and how could ShadowClan be so frustratingly triumphant over their kill?

After the battle, I overheard Cherrystem, a new warrior, venting to her older sister, Snowpelt about how scared she was. I wasn't the only one that heard the ShadowClan cats laughing as they ran away and, I learned later that one even yelled, "Don't worry, RiverClan, we'll be back for more!" Everyone thought it was one of the newer warriors.

I decided to visit the elders for a story to take my mind off of the tragedy. The last thing I wanted to do was hold on to the pain. My sister, Daisykit, saw me leaving and bounded up to me, meowing, "Where are you going? Can I come too?" Not wanting to disappoint my outgoing sister, I nodded, explained, and continued.

When we were near the medicine den, we were greeted by Berryheart and loud wailing. "Can you kits help me for just a second? I need some help with Ottertail. He was slashed multiple times on the same shoulder and needs immediate attention."

Daisykit looked over at me and responded, "Actually, we had some plans, so-" Berryheart paid no attention to my sister and shuffled us into the den. The odors of plants only slightly masked the scent of blood. It scared me and I decided right then and there I would never become a medicine cat.

We found Ottertail in a nest, moaning and wrapped tightly in cobweb."Can you get a few marigold petals? They are the bright yellow flowers." After we helped for a few more minutes, the old she-cat meowed, "You kits can go back to your plans. Thank you for all of your help." We strolled to the elders den, smelling of herbs more strongly than we would have liked.

Great snoring came out of the elder's den. We looked in and saw Blackthorn fast asleep while Milkleaf was poking his head with her tail. Daisykit stepped on a branch and the old tom shot up, sending Milkleaf tumbling in her nest. Tigerleap watched this all with amusement in his eyes while he ate his water vole.

Blackthorn looked at us and squinted. "You need to take out my bedding! It's too hard and bracken pokes through everywhere!" I looked at him in confusion, while Daisykit gasped.

"We really look like apprentices? Thanks, Blackthorn!" I don't know how she got that, but it was kind of true. Cloudkit and I were almost as big as Deerpaw, and we were very close to our ceremony.

Milkleaf chuckled along with Tigerleap. "When I was your age, I wondered what the elders did all day. But between kits and this old tom," she meowed, poking Blackthorn once more, "I haven't had a boring moment!" She looked at us and her face became serious and sorrowful as she remembered our grief. Milkleaf mewed, "I heard about Whiteflower. I'm really sorry. She was always a good fighter, and how she didn't make it is a big mystery."

"Don't think about sad things. Do you want me to tell you the story of the Moonstone?" Tigerleap meowed. Daisykit sat down and curled her tail around her paws, and I did the same, but as Tigerleap told the tale of Mothflight and her journey while Milkleaf interrupted every ten seconds to tell us her version, I let my mind wander to Whiteflower and her death. It was hard to think about anything else.

Later that night, I was supposed to be drifting off to sleep, but instead I was awake thinking of my mother. I felt Daisykit's body next to me and whispered, "What will we do without our mother?" Daisykit tensed.

"I don't know. We won't get milk, we won't have her to be with, and we won't have her on our warrior journey. It's going to be horrible." Daisykit brought new thoughts into my mind. My mother was really gone and the only time that I would see her again is a long time from now, when I am dead and in StarClan.

**Mistyclaw**

The mouse scurried along, unaware of the danger up ahead. It stopped to smell a flower with unusually bright colors when pain flooded it's body and it could see no more.

"Great StarClan! That's a plump mouse! And how could you catch it from so far away, Mistyclaw?" The tom whom the voice belonged to bounded up, his eyes wide in amazement. He looked at me and I shrugged.

"I don't know, Slatepaw. I've always been a talented hunter," I sighed. "I wish the whole clan was as talented as I was. We'd catch a lot more prey, and less cats would starve each leaf-bare..." I trailed off, thinking about the loss of my best friend, Lakeheart. She was taken way too soon; her warrior ceremony was just a mere quarter moon before her life was taken. "Anyway, your warrior ceremony is today, and I believe you are more than ready to earn your name." I looked over at Slatepaw as I tried to change the subject and found him stalking a vole. He killed it quickly and set it down.

"We should head back to camp. I need to look nice for my ceremony." He took a rabbit from earlier and padded towards camp.

"Okay, but don't be too vain about it!" I chuckled. The long haired tom was too self absorbed about his looks to do anything much as a younger apprentice, and I could see part of it still clung to him like a burr on his pelt.

My pelt tingled. My surroundings changed and I was laying in the medicine den with sudden enormous pain in her side, causing blood to pool at the ground. I'm not usually the she-cat to swoon at the sight of blood, but the fact that I had blacked out in the forest and woke up like this made my heart beat faster.

Just then, the head of Badgerbranch the medicine cat loomed over at her, and meowed, "You're awake! I thought you wouldn't make it. That tom really shredded you. You're lucky to be alive."

I saw only darkness again, then I woke up, back in the forest, in the same spot I had drifted off. A rabbit was brave enough to sniff at my front paws and I killed it instantly. Picking up my mouse and rabbit, I ran back to camp.

**Mistyclaw**

When I came back into camp, I was still thinking about my vision. I dropped my mouse on the fresh-kill pile, and took the rabbit into the elders den. My mother, Hollywing, was awake, so I placed the rabbit in front of her. When me and my sister, Sunfoot, were made apprentices, she announced that she felt she was too old and tired to serve her Clan anymore, and producing five litters of kits was more than enough. Ever since, I had visited my mother each day, bringing a piece of fresh-kill and company. Every day, she would say that she only just became an Elder and I didn't have to take care of her, but nowadays, her sentence was interrupted by a sneeze or fit of coughing.

"Hollywing, I need to talk," I meowed to my mother. "I was hunting with Slatepaw, and I was suddenly whisked to the medicine den, and my side was bleeding. I saw Badgerbranch, and he said something about a tom shredding me."

Hollywing's green eyes widened with surprise. "You had a vision, just like a-"

"Medicine cat," I finished. "I can't be a medicine cat! I want to find a mate, start a family, train apprentices as warriors, and possibly become Clan leader!" I ended with a loud moan, which woke up Lizardcloud, my father.

"Why don't I ever get any attention? You bring stuff to your mother, but never to me! I would appreciate a nice plump sparrow every day, but she always gets what looks like the fattest piece of prey imaginable for no apparent reason!"

Hollyleaf responded, "You never visited her when she was in the nursery, let alone brought her fresh-kill! Why should she?"

"And you ignored me until I was a warrior, then pulled me aside and asked me if you would be receiving grandkits anytime soon!" I chimed in.

To make things worse, Sunfoot came into the den and dropped a vole at Lizardcloud's paws. "I know you like sparrows, but there weren't any, so I got you a vole." Then glancing at me with Hollyleaf, sneered, "Oh. It's you."

I was hoping to avoid conflict and thinking of possible ways to keep the peace, and we heard Morningstar yowl from the Highrock, "Let every cat old enough to catch their own prey join at the Highrock for a Clan Meeting!" Cats of all ages, pelt colors, and genders spilled out and gathered to listen. I was one of the first to come, earning myself a front row seat.

"Although ThunderClan is strong with warriors, we will be adding one more to our ranks tonight. Slatepaw, please come here." The excited tom ran towards her, and he stopped right in front of Morningstar. I noticed his pelt was groomed well, not a hair out of place. That tom is really too vain.

"I, Morningstar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon our warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn." She turned to Slatepaw. "Do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Slatepaw puffed out his chest and meowed with vigor, "I do."

Morningstar smiled. "Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior name. Slatepaw, from this moment you will be known as Slatefang. StarClan honors your willingness to help and your determination, even in the beginning." Not a cat in the clearing could suppress a chuckle, not even Slatefang. His vanity had led some cats into a bad situation more than once.

I smiled. Training an apprentice was fun, but mine had come with a lot of hard work to be done. I was just glad those days were behind me. I walked towards the warriors den, and was greeted by Alderfoot, looking sheepish.

"Do you want to sleep next to me tonight? I mean, if that's okay with you. If you don't want to then…" He nervously looked at the ground.

_He's so cute when he's like that,_ I thought. He looked up when I placed her tail on his shoulder and looked deep into his blue eyes. They carried a startled look with them as they landed on mine. "Alderfoot, I'd like nothing more."

The time spent together in the past was always enjoyable, and I looked forward to when he would ask me to go hunting with him or to share a mouse. After around a moon and a half of this, he decided to take things up a notch, and I was glad. There was only so much time before I would knock down my walls and become his mate.

We went into the den, and Alderfoot tried to twine their tails together on multiple occasions as we were trying to go to sleep, but I was one to take things slowly, at least for now, and I politely pulled my tail out of reach. This caused him to shift away, and I would shift towards him, not wanting to hurt the handsome tom's feelings.

As I was falling asleep, I felt comforted by Alderfoot's steady breathing, but I also couldn't help but feel troubled. If I had a vision in the forest earlier today, did that mean StarClan wanted me to be a medicine cat? If that was true, Ie would never be able to have a mate. And she really liked Alderfoot and hoped to have a close relationship with him later in life. I did not want my position in ThunderClan to change. I wanted to have a mate and kits and everything a healthy queen had. But my vision in the forest meant that I might have to throw that all away.

* * *

**Revision Date: 2/23/20**


	3. Chapter 2

**Adderkit**

"Do you seriously think you'll be a warrior? You're too clumsy to fight!"

"Yeah! Nobody else in ShadowClan- Wait, make that all the clans, is as clumsy as you!"

I'm the only kit in ShadowClan, and I am ignored by my Clanmates all because of my overly dramatic clumsiness. My mother, Honeytail, always told me I will always belong in ShadowClan, but I always told her that's what she said about Snowberry.

She never said anything to me for a few minutes after that.

There were only a few cats in ShadowClan who were even remotely nice to me. Unfortunately, that list didn't include my father, Echostream.

It did include Sandstar, Smoky, and Pineleaf, the authority figures of ShadowClan, but at five moons old, I knew they were only nice to me because they pitied me or because it was their job.

Cats who have earned their warrior names were nice enough to not say anything, so when some apprentices bullied me, it only pushed back their ceremonies. The apprentices were, in essence, fox-hearts to me.

Well most of them, anyway.

**Adderkit**

A pretty white she-cat poked her head into the nursery. "Adderkit, do you want to practice your hunting crouch?"

I scrambled up from my nest, accidentally hitting Leafpelt in her face with my tail. I went outside to face Sagepaw, who was the one cat who I was positive didn't pretend to like me. She had been working her tail off to try and make me better at coordination, stalking, and fighting (just simple defense, so I could protect myself just in case), not because she pitied me, but because she cared. I love her with all of my heart, and way more than I could ever love Echostream.

We went off to a secluded part of camp, and then once I made sure nobody was watching, I crouched down, and Sagepaw offered her constructive criticism.

"Lift your tail. Paws apart. Crouch down more. There!"

I glowed with pride. "Now try pouncing onto this leaf," Sagepaw instructed. I crouched once more, and got ready to pounce. I soared onto the leaf...

But I probably should have kept my eyes open.

"Ha! Adderkit can't even pounce on a stationary leaf!" Thrushpaw cackled. I had apparently landed several tail-lengths in front of the leaf, and I tumbled to the side. My secret little corner of camp was not so secret anymore.

"He probably couldn't win a fight with a newborn kit!" Stonepaw added.

Without warning, Sagepaw hurled herself at her brother, and the two of them fought with unsheathed claws. Thrushpaw took no notice of his partner in crime, but looked at me with ferocity in his eyes. "I don't know about a newborn kit," he meowed, "but he probably couldn't possibly beat me!"

When Thrushpaw started to beat me up, Sagepaw stopped fighting, and Stonepaw pummeled his sister, leaving large gashes on her face and belly. She fought to get away from Stonepaw to save me, but her injuries made her weak, leaving her with one other option.

"HELP! SOMEONE HELP US! PLEASE!"

**Adderkit**

Smoky was angry.

Sandstar was livid.

Pineleaf was furious.

But none of them compared to the anger of Deerpelt, Thrushpaw's mother.

I heard from Sagepaw that the words flying out of the brown she-cat's mouth were not fit for any kit to hear. However, I was unconscious from the huge gash on my neck. And that wasn't the only injury I suffered from. The full list included multiple deep scratches on my legs, two clips in my left ear, and my usually long tail (it was part of the reason I tripped so often) was half its normal size.

Everyone was cross with the apprentice for picking on a kit and giving him fatal blows. Sandstar made him stay in camp and take care of the elders for five moons. Deerpelt personally saw to it that he received another moon.

Meanwhile, my wounds were so severe Pineleaf didn't think I could stay alive at this age, let alone become an apprentice. Sagepaw would be fine, but she couldn't go outside of camp for at least a half-moon. I was barely hanging onto my life. StarClan could have called me at any moment.

The next night, I woke up when a fern tickled my nose. My pain was horrible, but it didn't bother me, because I looked over and I noticed Sagepaw was gone from her nest.

I stumbled to the clearing and found her on top of the boulders that created the Medicine den. She sat with her tail upright and it twitched every few seconds.

"What in the name of StarClan are you doing here?" My mew startled Sagepaw, and she turned her head to face me.

"I just came to see the stars and the moon. They look so pretty this time of night. Also, I should be asking you the same question, because you have it worse than me."

I sighed. "I'm not helpless, you know. I am not in as much pain as I was last night, thanks to Pineleaf's poppy seeds."

"I blame myself. If I had taught you some defense moves, you might have stood more of a chance." Sagepaw relaxed and put her tail down.

This hurt me more than Thrushpaw's attack. I murmured, "You're not to blame. It's not your fault I was born to be dumb and clumsy. Everyone pities me for it and makes me feel awful, and some cats even take it to the worst of extremes like Thrushpaw did."

Sagepaw looked shocked at this statement. "I don't think you're dumb and clumsy. I don't pity you. StarClan made you different for a reason. You can still become a warrior, and I think you'll become even better than Stonepaw and Thrushpaw combined. Why let a little kithood clumsiness slow you down?" This statement made me purr. The opinions of all these cats in ShadowClan didn't matter to me as long as Sagepaw meant what she told me.

That's when I heard rustling from inside the warriors den and saw Echostream come out. He padded over to the medicine den, not taking notice of the two cats perched on top. Pineleaf came outside, and the two of them talked in quiet whispers.

"Do you think Adderkit will ever get over his injuries?" I held my breath, then regretted it. My lungs screamed for air, and I needed all the strength I could keep if I was to make a full recovery. I was too close to coughing. For fun, I used to spy on Echostream, but after the first couple of times, he found out, and was madder than a fox in a fit. I can't ever let him know that I know his secrets. But my father's words surprised me. I thought for a brief moment, _did my father actually care for me_?

"Do you believe he'll ever become a fully capable warrior? After what Thrushpaw did to him, my only son could be held back and have to do something useless like being a medicine cat. No offense or anything," Echostream whispered urgently, noticing the look on the medicine cat's face.

Figures. All my father cared about was having a successful warrior as a son. I looked at Sagepaw, and she motioned for me to go down to meet Echostream and Pineleaf. With all the strength I could muster, I leaped down, startling the two cats below and sending a shooting pain through my paws.

"A-A-Adderkit? Y-you didn't hear anything, did you?" Echostream may have tried to make a molehill out of this mountain, but Pineleaf was still angry at him for calling the art of medicine "useless". She wore a gleeful expression on her face, which quickly turned to shock.

"Adderkit, your wounds - they look healed! Well, more than they are supposed to at this point." I looked down at my wounds in confusion and saw they looked more like scars than scratches that were made the previous day.

Echostream's face lit up, and he meowed triumphantly, "My son will be a warrior if he gets his act together! Oh, sorry Adderkit." He turned to me with a halfway apologetic look on his face.

But I had already run back to my nest.

**Streamripple**

"May all cats old enough to catch their own prey join together for a Clan meeting!"

I jolted awake when Briarstar's yowl cut through the clearing. I yawned and made my way to the Tallrock.

"As you all probably know, Olivebranch is expecting Duskfur's kits and will move to the nursery today! We need someone to stand in her place until her kits are born and of the age of six moons!"

I shifted in my seat. These announcements were always boring when I knew they weren't about me. I was probably not going to get chosen, given my inexperience and my rambunctiousness as an apprentice. Briarstar herself was chosen to mentor me until just four moons ago, when she was still the WindClan deputy.

"My choice is going to be made by moonhigh tonight." Briarstar told our Clan. Olivebranch stood near her, belly round with kits. The pregnant she-cat's eyes lit up as they swept over the crowd, and she strode over to the leader and whispered something to her, while looking at me with an unreadable expression.

Streamripple's ears flattened as Briarstar opened her mouth again. "Would Streamripple please step forward?"

**Streamripple**

"WindClan deputy! Amazing! The deputy is my mentor!" I looked at the bouncing apprentice. His brown fur was all over the place and snagged on the occasional bush.

I rolled my eyes and turned back to the moor. "I'm only the temporary deputy. In about seven moons I'll be demoted again. And Harepaw, sit down and be calm for once. You're scaring all the rabbits back down into their holes." I expected Harepaw to come back with a retort like he always does when I constructively criticize his work, and when I heard none, I turned to face him. The normally energetic apprentice was sitting as I had instructed him to, but he looked as if he had seen a cat from StarClan ask him the direction to the Moonstone. His body was rigid, his tail neatly curled around his paws.

"Harepaw, this isn't funny. Snap out of it and start hunting!" Harepaw stood up and shook his head, couched like he was about to pounce on a nonexistent rabbit, but quickly sat back down. It looked like the motion had pained him and he tipped over onto the moor ground with a small thud so that he was laying down. I leaped over to the apprentice and looked him over, trying to find out the problem.

"Streamripple, I don't feel so well," the apprentice mewed feebly. I ran back to camp and searched for Beewing. The medicine cat was teaching his apprentice, Swiftpaw, how to wrap a wound in cobweb.

"Beewing, I need help! Harepaw and I were hunting and he just stops and suddenly isn't feeling well enough to hunt."

Beewing's expression of pride in his apprentice changed to one of concern. "Swiftpaw, get one of the warriors to help carry Harepaw's body back to camp and bring them with us. Streamripple, show us where he is."

When Swiftpaw came back with a yellow tom named Wildbramble, I led a trail of cats over to the place where Harepaw lay and Beewing looked over him. He meowed, "This is as big of a mystery to me as it is to you. We need to get him back to camp." The team each helped carry the apprentice all the way back to camp and set him down on a soft nest. Beewing dismissed me and Wildbramble as he and Swiftpaw began their investigation.

Guilt filled my stomach and gave me an uneasy feeling. What in the name of StarClan happened there, and why did it happen? Did it have something to do with my instruction? As questions danced around in my head, Briarstar strode over to where I was sitting and whispered, "You're the WindClan deputy, so you need to organize patrols."

Patrols! I had been so wrapped up in Harepaw's situation I had forgotten to set patrols! With vigor, I padded over to where Duskfur and Umberwhisker were finishing up a meal and meowed, "Can you two lead a sun-high patrol on the RiverClan border with Sunbeam and Quickpaw?"

Duskfur looked at her with confusion. "Quickpaw's doing battle training with Vinepaw and Eagleflight. He can't train and patrol." Umberwhisker nodded his head in agreement.

My fur burned with embarrassment, but I had to shake it off quickly and do my duties. "Just grab another couple of warriors and get on it." I turned my head and hoped they didn't remember my mess up forever and taunt me about it in the future. If I was going to be a deputy for a couple seasons, these cats would have to trust and respect me. I needed to get some advice from someone who would know how I would possibly be able to manage that.

**Streamripple**

Olivebranch was eating a mouse in the nursery when I found her. It was obvious that the kits were due soon. When Olivebranch looked up, she meowed, "Having problems as deputy already?"

"How did you know?"

"I guessed. You're very easy to read when you are feeling like the weight of the Clans is on your shoulders when really, it isn't."

I sat down next to her and asked, "How did you feel as deputy?"

The grey she-cat pondered for a minute. "Being deputy was a huge responsibility. I knew that I would have to work hard, be kind to my Clanmates, and remember where everyone is so I don't put them on a patrol when they're already hunting. Oh stop it, everyone makes mistakes," she added, noticing how much I was sulking.

"Why did you suggest me? You could have chosen Jetpelt or Heatherfoot or Wildbramble but you chose a messed up she-cat with barely enough experience as a warrior!"

"Oh Streamripple, I chose you because you care about WindClan and you have a big heart. Also, Briarstar technically was the cat who chose you to be temporary deputy."

Feeling bad for lashing out at a cat who I considered to be my closest friend, I meowed, "I'm sorry. I'm just feeling... frustrated. I didn't lead anything before this except for when I pretended to be the leader of WindClan when I was a kit."

"Well, playing sure was fun. Then we became apprentices who had to take out the elder's stinky bedding!" Olivebranch laughed.

I laughed too, but it was halfheartedly. All of the worries of being a deputy would still cling to me for a long time.

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**Revision Date: 2/23/20**


	4. Chapter 3

I leaped on top of my opponent, pinning her down. She twisted out of my grip with ease and leaped onto her back, and started cuffing my ears. Leafpaw jumped off as I wriggled, making it impossible to hold on. The brown tom pushed her down again, but this time made sure she could not escape.

Ryeleaf, Leafpaw's mentor, looked sternly at the disappointing apprentice. Sagepelt, on the other paw, looked at me with pride. "Not too long before you're made a warrior! You can fight well. Your hunting skills are beyond compare. I'm really proud of you, Oakpaw," my mentor meowed.

Or, at least in an alternate universe.

In reality, the grey tabby didn't even glance at me. At least Ryeleaf gave me a "Good job, Oakpaw" when I trained with Leafpaw. Sagepelt had acted like this ever since a battle with RiverClan and I had the opportunity to save his mentor's younger sister, Fernpaw, from the wrath of the RiverClan deputy, Brambletail, and I failed miserably. Sagepelt hadn't forgiven me since.

**Oakpaw**

The four of us marched back into camp, and Leafpaw took a hare from the fresh-kill pile while she beckoned me to follow her. I was in too much of a slump to join, so I responded, "I'd like to eat by myself," took my own sparrow and sat alone. I ate slowly as I mulled over the situation with Sagepelt in his mind. His mentor had always been distant even before Fernpaw died, but this was unacceptable.

Plus, it wasn't like he was going to change on his own.

I finished my sparrow and rose to my paws. A quick scan of the camp told me Sagepelt was behind the warrior's den talking quietly with Sandwhisker.

"Oomph!" Grayfrost bumped into my flank as he was walked out. "Sorry," he muttered quickly, and continued on.

"-on her ninth life," Sagepelt was saying. "She'll die soon. Goldenfoot's in on this, right?" Sandwhisker nodded.

As I strode in, the two toms looked at me. "What in the name of StarClan are you talking about?" me asked demandingly.

Sandwhisker whispered to Sagepelt, "He's in on it, right?"

I momentarily forgot about confronting Sagepelt, but it sounded like they were thinking up some sort of "evil plot."

Sagepelt nodded, surprising me. "I thought you knew perfectly well what we're talking about, Grayfrost."

_Grayfrost?_

In the dim lighting, I could have been mistook for many cats. Brown was not an uncommon pelt color. I'm also almost the size of a warrior. My pelt matched Mapletail's and Poppynose's exactly, being from the same parents but an earlier litter. Owlfeather is also close to being identical. But _Grayfrost? _That was just ridiculous.

But when I looked down at my paws and chest, instead of finding a fluffy brown pelt, I found only light gray fur. "You know we're plotting to overthrow Applestar and rule SkyClan for ourselves, then move on to the other Clans. Goldenfoot has SkyClan, Sagepelt has ThunderClan, I'm leading ShadowClan, You've got WindClan, and Timberheart has been promised RiverClan. A StarClan warrior came to me in a dream telling me to do this," Sandwhisker spilled.

"He also told me last night that there were five cats, one in each Clan, that has been given a special power and that they would help us. The cats in on this who are chosen for tomorrow night's gathering will find it out," Sagepelt added, and Sandwhisker looked jealous at this statement, perhaps because he did not recieve this dream.

This unearthed new questions. "How are just the five of us plus the five with powers going to take over the Clans? How do you know the powered cats will reveal themselves and work with you? Have you found the SkyClan cat yet?" _Am _I _the SkyClan cat?_

After being bombarded with questions, Sagepelt put an annoyed expression on his face and replied, "The warrior-Leopardscar-told me that there were five others in each Clan that were apart of this movement because the leaders now are weak. Leopardscar will give dreams to the five cats telling them what their powers are and to find me at the gathering. The SkyClan cat is still unknown, but trust me, we _will find them."_

**Oakpaw**

The meeting made me feel scared. _What do I do? __How do I turn back into myself? _Applestar came out of her den, giving me the idea to tell her.

"Applestar," I meowed, slightly startling the old leader. "I have heard there is a group of cats attempting to overthrow you then take over the rest of the Clans."

Applestar's eyes widened. "Oh?"

As I told her the story, Applestar changed her facial expression from anger, to fear, to anger again. Her final look was suspicion, and she asked, "Aren't you one of those miscreants?"

_Fox dung! _He forgot he was still Grayfrost. "Not only does this plan trample the warrior code to dust, but it also made them leader! Those cats are not fit to lead a band of rogues, much less all of the Clans!"

Applestar kept her look. I began to panic, but she meowed, "I will reprimand these cats as soon as possible. Thank you for telling me, Grayfrost." She strode off, leaving him relieved. About one thing.

_Now I really need to turn back to myself. Sagepelt will be madder than a fox in a fit if he knows his secret is out, but at least Oakpaw is free and clear. _I scrunched my eyes shut_, _focusing on turning back.

But all I got was a couple stares from my Clanmates.

Darkpelt yelled, "Are you trying to make dirt in the middle of the camp?"

"No."

"Yeah right. Go to the dirtplace, Grayfrost."

Maybe trying to change back in the dead center of camp wasn't the best idea. The dirtplace worked just fine.

I concentrated even more this time. When I looked at my paws again, they were brown, not the hue of Grayfrost's fur.

**Oakpaw**

I jumped as a yowl sounded through the clearing. I scrambled out of my nest and raced out of the apprentices' den. Cats were crowding around something, but whatever it was, it must be bad.

I squeezed through the crowd, trying not to trip on any cat's tails. When I made it to the center of the crowd, I found a dead body. Grayfrost's.

A nearby voice came out from behind the warrior's den. "I had to kill him, Sandwhisker. He betrayed our secret to Applestar." Probably Sagepelt.

"We need to take action now! Applestar won't keep it secret for much longer."

"Not yet." Sagepelt was oddly calm for a cat in his situation. "We wait until Leopardscar gives us the signal, which will be after the gathering. Trust me, by moon-high the night after the Gathering, we will have SkyClan wrapped around my paw."


	5. Chapter 4

The night after his father's true colors were revealed, Adderkit found it hard to sleep. He tossed and turned in his nest, marveling at how easily Sagepaw fell asleep. Then again, her father wasn't loving her only to have a successful kit.

After what seemed like moons, Adderkit fell asleep in the ferns. He opened his eyes to a clearing in a dimly lit forest with no sign of any animals until a black and gray tom entered the clearing.

"Adderkit. I've been expecting you." The malicious looking tom studied him carefully, making Adderkit quite uncomfortable. "Come with me, and we'll meet the others."

The others were a group of four, containing another kit, two warriors, and an apprentice. They all looked surprised and confused as Adderkit joined them.

"I am Leopardscar, and I called you five here because you are special." As he told them this, the brown apprentice began growling. "I gave each of you a special power that will help you help me. Mosskit," he meowed, turning to the other kit, "you have the power to control the outcome of battles. Your mother only died in the battle with ShadowClan because you predicted it." At this, Mosskit looked like she had a nasty case of greencough. Adderkit had heard of the battle with RiverClan from other cats talking about it the day before Thrushpaw's attack. Not many cats from his clan had been harmed, but he had overheard Tawnysky boasting about how she had slaughtered a queen weakened by her recent birth.

"Mistyclaw, if you remember your vision you had, you will be harmed. That is the power I gave you, to see the future. You will not become something as useless as a medicine cat and you can take that piece of crow-food, Alderfoot as your mate." Like the apprentice, the she-cat growled at him, but Leopardscar did not seem fazed. Apparently this shifty cat had the same views on medicine as Echostream.

"Adderkit." The black tom-kit looked up at his name. "You healed very quickly after Thrushpaw attacked you. Not quite invisibility, but close enough. That is the power bestowed upon you."

That explained why his wounds healed after the second day in the medicine den! It made Adderkit feel ten times as powerful, and the thought of doling out revenge on Thrushpaw and Stonepaw flashed across his mind.

Leopardscar moved on to the second warrior. He meowed, "Streamripple. Remember that time when you were hunting with your apprentice, Harepaw? When you told him to sit down and be still, he went into a trance that made his only choice to follow your orders. When you told him to "snap out of it," he did. Your power is to control the actions of cats."

"You... you... Is Harepaw going to be okay?"

With his gaze fixed on the apprentice, he replied, "Of course. He will be fine in the morning. All of your victims will. Oakpaw, you have been blessed with the ability to change your appearance to look like another cat." The apprentice continued to growl, and a hint of realization danced in his eyes.

"Together we will rule the forest differently. The Warrior Code will be changed for the better, as we will make new laws and take away the silliest ones. You five will become the leaders of each clan, with the help from-"

Oakpaw rose and demanded, "I thought you would make Sagepelt and his gang leaders of the Clans! Tell the truth, what is really going on?"

Leopardscar sighed. "I was young. Alive. As a SkyClan warrior, I served well. Something unspeakable happened and StarClan blamed me for everything, planting me in the dark forest. I have decided some laws in the Warrior Code were unfair, and I want to make them different. I asked a cat in each Clan to fight for me, and all but one flat out refused, so to persuade them, I told them they should recruit four others in their Clan and they should tell them they would become leaders if they successfully caused the downfall of the leaders and the cats I chose would become the true leaders, but you five are the ones that will truly become rulers of the forest. The cats I recruted are for the sole purpose of fighting for me."

"So it's all true. What I heard Sagepelt say. Except you're lying to him just so he would work for you." Oakpaw scoffed. "I suppose you want us to walk over to him at the Gathering and announce 'I have powers!'"

Adderkit realized something, but Mosskit beat him to it. "I'm a kit. How do you expect me to attend a Gathering?"

"Well, plans have changed. I'll be back in a moment." The tom left, leaving the five cats alone.

He was gone only a moment, and returned with five new cats, of which Adderkit recognized Marshclaw, a cat who taunted him every second of his time in camp. "Why is the weakling here? And who are all of those cats?"

Leopardscar gave the brown and white tom a glare. "These five here are the cats with powers that will help you rule." As Streamripple shot him a dirty look, he continued. "I trust you have recruited the four cats in each Clan and told them they would rule?" All five evil cats nodded. "Instead of letting them find you at the Gathering, I decided since two of them are kits, you will meet them here."

A she-cat with a brown pelt looked them over. "They're okay. What can they do?"

Leopardscar explained to the five what each cat's powers were, and the expressions varied. The other she-cat, one with a bright orange pelt and carried a smell of mice and other forest smells, wrinkled her nose in disgust, while Marshclaw and another tom with a pungent fishy smell frowned deeply.

"Do they pledge their allegiance to us and us alone?" a gray tabby tom asked, glaring at Oakpaw, who returned the look.

Leopardscar looked at them expectantly. "Well?"

Adderkit joined the other four while they reluctantly meowed, "We will use our powers only to help you rule the forest."

The grey tabby smiled. He looked at the five cats triumphantly. "I will use my cats so that we will rule the Clans, and maybe even more territory!"


	6. Chapter 5

**Yo. This is the first chapter in The Terrors of Leopardstar I've written on my own. Please enjoy!**

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When Mistyclaw woke up the morning after her dream, she looked over at Alderfoot sleeping soundly next to her. StarClan knows what would happen in the fight to put her in charge of ThunderClan.

Leading is a big responsibility, and it only belongs in the paws of cats with skills to keep their Clan alive. Mistyclaw took a good, hard look at herself and saw a cat with no leadership abilities. How did Leopardscar select her to become ThunderClan's leader?

Speaking of leaders, Morningstar was struggling in the medicine den. Her lungs were very weak and failing to inflate with air from time to time, and Badgerbranch was worried she'd lose a life, if not more. The leader had made the journey to the Moonstone around two moons ago, about to retire as deputy when Dapplestar, the previous leader, died of greencough.

The thudding of pawsteps announced the arrival of the dawn patrol from the Thunderpath. Sneezeheart, Vineflower, Foxpaw, and Violetpaw all rushed into camp like the forest was on fire. Vineflower leaped up to the highrock and announced to Mistyclaw's dismay, "We encountered a ShadowClan patrol on our side of the Thunderpath. We gave them a few scars that won't soon heal, but they took the life of Rabbittail."

Yowls of mourning filled the clearing. As a young warrior, Rabbittail had lived a short but good life dedicated to helping ThunderClan at all costs. The respect for him showed through every cat, but their attention was drawn to a screech of pain from the medicine den. Morningstar was dying.

Hollywing was Morningstar's sister, so Mistyclaw was her kin and had the right to be in the den for what could be her final moments. She gasped for air as she meowed in disbelief, "Rabbittail's d-dead? If so, I must n-name another d-deputy before I d-die."

Mistyclaw saw her mother's eyes well up with tears. "You won't die. Please."

"I say these words b-before the eyes of StarClan and hope-" She took a deep, shuddering breath. "And h-hope they approve of my ch-choice. A-A-" Another breath. "A-A-Alderfoot is ThunderClan's new d-deputy."

Mistyclaw made a huge leap out of the den and dragged a confused Alderfoot by the tail back with her. He staggered the last few steps as Morningstar continued, "Alderfoot, I am d-dying. I have named y-you my new deputy in h-hopes you will l-lead ThunderClan well." She took another breath, and then Morningstar was no more.

As Hollywing buried her face in her sister's fur, Alderfoot stared blankly in shock of the events. "I'm deputy?"

"It would appear so," Badgerbranch replied.

"There's no time to go to the Moonstone before the Gathering tonight."

"How about you appoint a deputy and they take your place?"

"That's not a bad idea." Alderfoot ran into the clearing and jumped onto the Highrock. "May all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather under the Highrock for a Clan meeting!"

When all the cats were present, Alderfoot had to yell to get everyone's attention because they were too busy gossiping about why a warrior would summon the Clan. "I'm sure you are all aware of Rabbittail's death, and because of that, Morningstar named me her deputy, then died, so I am your leader now." Outbursts escaped the jaws of every cat, most about having too much grief in one day. "I will travel to the Moonstone tonight, and my deputy will be there instead of me at the Gathering." The crowd almost broke their spines from leaning forward, eager to hear if they had been the lucky cat chosen for deputy. An expectant Sunfoot even sprang to her paws and strode to the Highrock.

But Sunfoot's name wasn't called. "ThunderClan's new deputy will be Mistyclaw. Mistyclaw, can you come up here?"

She made her way to the Highrock, ignoring the low growl coming from Sunfoot, and Alderfoot told her, "You can decide who will join you at the Gathering. I will be off with Badgerbranch to the Moonstone. Good luck at your first Gathering as Deputy!"

Sigh. This situation was not one that could be avoided. Might as well make the most of it. "The cats coming to the Gathering are Sunfoot, Sneezeheart, Vineflower, Runningfur, Briarleaf, Spottedpelt, Buzzpaw, and Violetpaw. The rest of you can stay and guard the camp."

If Alderfoot was deputy, he would have to die for Leopardscar's plan to succeed. If he was cross, something bad could happen. The turn of events saddened Mistyclaw, and now cats she truly loved would perish.

**Mistyclaw**

At the Gathering, the ThunderClan cats were the last to arrive. The leaders of the other four Clans looked at MIstyclaw weirdly as she leaped onto the Great Rock.

Applestar, being the oldest, announced first. "SkyClan is strong. A few of our cats have been in a conspiracy, but that was stamped out quickly." Could that have been Leopardscar's plot? Most likely, Mistyclaw thought to herself. Not many other conspiracies occured these days.

Branchstar of RiverClan was next. "We have two new apprentices. Leafpaw and Deerpaw!"

"Leafpaw! Deerpaw! Leafpaw! Deerpaw!" the crowd of cats cheered.

"We also have a new warrior," Branchstar continued, "Cherrypaw has become Cherrystem!"

"Cherrystem! Cherrystem!"

The leader of ShadowClan followed, meowing, "Life in ShadowClan has been for the most part uneventful, with only a few border skirmishes and one _minor _fight." As if the sound was planned, all of the RiverClan and ThunderClan cats began growling at Sandstar and his Clan, but they ignored them exept to plaster smirks on their muzzles,

Briarstar, in an attempt to prevent a fight from breaking out, started her report. "WindClan is experienceing good changes. Our deputy, Olivebranch, has moved to the nursery expecting kits, and Streamripple has taken her place temporarily." Looks like Streamripple is deputy too. Won't Leopardscar be pleased.

Now all eyes were on Mistyclaw. Gulp. "Uh, I regret to inform you..." She nervously looked for her mother in the audience for support, and when she found her and mad eye contact,Hollywing gave her an encouraging nod. " To inform you that Rabbittail is dead. Morningstar named Alderfoot as her deputy, then-"

"Why are you up there then?" a SkyClan apprentice rudely yelled.

Annoyed, Mistyclaw continued," Alderfoot named me deputy and he is going to the Moonstone tonight. In other news, we have a new warrior: Slatefang.

The viewers yelled their usual cheer, and Applestar concluded the Gathering. "Another Gathering has ended. Until next time," and without so much as a nod of respect, her and the rest of SkyClan departed for their camp.

The rest of the cats stayed for a moment longer, then left for their camps.

On the journey back, while the rest of ThunderClan gossiped about the Gathering, Sunfoot approached Mistyclaw when the black she-cat was deeply thinking. "I just wanted to let you know that your time as deputy and Alderfoot's mate won't last long. I am either going to kill you or expose you for the cat I know you are. Then I will swoop in, securing a mate and a position as deputy, and as soon as Alderfoot and I have a moment completely alone, I will kill him and take the position as leader, just like Leopardscar wants me to. And you," she meowed, placing her tail on Mistyclaw's shoulder, "have to be submissive through it all, do whatever I want, and tell me when you get these 'visions' of yours."

"Tell me one thing, Sunfoot." Mistyclaw whirled to face her sister. "Why would I help such a self-centered little brat who has about as much of a chance at becoming Clan leader as there is that hedgehogs will sprout wings and fly us all to StarClan where we can feast on badgers? I don't have to help you, and as long as I have control over my own body, I never will." The black and gold she-cat strode off, feeling more anger than she ever had in her life.

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**Seeing as how this is the first chapter I have written on my own, please reveiw and tell me how I did!**


	7. Chapter 6

**I've made a few small changes to the story. One, Mosskit started the story at 5 moons old instead of one half moon. Two, the story is now in first-person. I'm going through each of the chapters and editing them to be like this.**

**Enjoy the story and please review!**

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"Mosskit, you will now be known as Mosspaw. Your mentor will be..." Branchstar's eyes scanned the crowd, searching for a worthy mentor for me, "Lilypool."

My littermates got their mentors too. Cloudpaw had berry heart, having chosent so study medicine, Graypaw received Cinderlight, and Daisypaw was lucky enough to get the Clan deputy, Brambletail.

Lilypool was an... interesting character. She was so full of positive energy, but it got her into trouble quite often. now that she was older and wiser, hopefully I would become a decent warrior.

My mentor approached me. "My first apprentice! How exciting!"

"Now Lilypool, don't get too excited. This experience can be a frustrating one if not done correctly." Finchpelt, Lilypool's brother, glared at her.

"But wait! More apprentices are coming tonight! Shellkit and Rosekit, please come forward." I winced as Shellkit purposefully stepped on my tail. Apparently he was angry because he would be made and apprentice after the kits who were born two days after him and his sister had been.

"Shellkit, you will now be known as Shellpaw. Finchpelt will be your mentor." _Finchpelt? _Finchpelt, who was nothing but nice to his Clan, paired with Shellpaw, the nuisance who treats everyone like crow-food? And then it hit me. Branchstar paired apprentices with warriors of opposite personality, seemingly to balance them out. He must think I was quiet and shy to pair me with Lilypool! Ugh!

"Rosekit, from this day forward, you will be known as Rosepaw. Fishsplash will mentor you.

"Now, the apprentice's den may seem quite full, but we're emptying it a little. Sharppaw, Grasspaw, Mothpaw, come forward." As the three excited apprentices bounced up to Branchstar, I couldn't help but marvel in how confident they seemed. They had their muzzles held high, their eyes gleamed with pride in theirselves, it was so hard to think that those cats are in the same position that I might be in one day. "Sharppaw, StarClan honors your determination and skill, and we welcome you as a full warrior. You will now be known as Sharpwhisker.

"Grasspaw, StarClan honors your enthusiasm and bravery, and today, you will be known as Grassfire.

Mothpaw, you have shown compassion and bravery throughout training and from now on, you will be known as Mothfur."

The celebration that followed was short, and Lilypool rejoined me. "We're going with my brother and his apprentice to explore the territories!"

Shellpaw! Can't I get enough of him? Then again, Finchpelt has had multiple apprentices before, and Lilypool would probably much rather take advice from her brother, who she was comfortable with.

**Mosspaw**

"And this is Sunningrocks! On a warm Green-leaf day the sun feels so good on your fur!" Lilypool bounced around, showing Shellpaw and me the RiverClan territory. Occasionally, Finchpelt would butt in and point out a few things, such as the best place for fishing or the most dangerous swimming spot. Shellpaw and I ignored each other until he tripped me with his forepaw and kicked dirt in my face when I was down.

I opened my jaws to yell for Lilypool, but the light gray she-cat and her brother were out of sight.

"Shellpaw! Where in the name of StarClan is Lilypool and Finchpelt?"

Shellpaw looked around for his mentor, and when he saw no cat, he started pacing. "We're lost. Thanks to you, I will die out here, hungry, tired, and with the most idiotic mouse-brain alive!"

I don't know why, but his words made my eyes well up with tears. I collapsed on the soft sand of the river bank and buried my face in my fur. Shellpaw realized his mistake and sat down next to me, letting his cream pelt touch mine. "I'm sorry I yelled at you. Um... I turned to look at the cream apprentice and saw his eyes, a deep dark brown, full of concern and regret.

The moment was over all too soon. Lilypool and Finchpelt raced into the area and began yelling at once. What in the name of StarClan were we thinking, they would tell Branchstar what happened, there would be extreme consequences in store for us, everything I expected. I tried to interject, but Lilypool placed her tail on my mouth.

"We're going back to camp. When we get there, you two will be paying a visit to Branchstar."

**Mosspaw**

It seemed like moons before Branchstar let us into his den. His face was impassive, his eyes burned into our pelts with disappointment.

The three of us just sat there for a long time. I kept myself as far from Shellpaw as possible, and he did the same to me.

"Finchpelt and Lilypool told me you tow snuck off during your tour and they found you again flirting with each other. I want to hear your side of the story."

I beat Shellpaw to it. "We were just walking along the river when Shellpaw tripped me and kicked dirt in my face. Lilypool and Finchpelt kept walking, and we were lost so I sat down and staye put so our mentors could find me easier."

"I see."

Shellpaw looked back and forth between Branchstar and I, showing obvious but feigned disbelief in my side of the story. Branchstar ignored him and, once hea had decided upon the consequences, told us the verdict. "Mosspaw is not to blame. Shellpaw, your next lesson will be learning how to clean out the nursery. I will speak with Finchpelt and Lilypool about their responsibilities. Now, Leave my den!"

As soon as I was outside, I let out a snicker I had been holding in. A cream-colored paw swiped at my face but missed, infuriating me.

To make a long story short, Shellpaw and I will have matching notches in our ears for the rest of our lives.


	8. Chapter 7

**Hello! Just an FYI, I am editing the chapters and adding in key info, so if you are confused later in the story, just a heads up. Enjoy!**

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Sagepelt stood in front of me, but he didn't notice my silhouette as he conversed with Leopardscar. I could tell from how the dead cat had a glint in his eyes that he knew I was here.

"How are we going to plot the death of Applestar and Goldenfoot? I'm growing impatient."

"My dear Sagepelt, the time will come. Our Oakpaw will pose as a cat you hate and he will kill the leader while you privately kill the deputy. Then he, as Goldenfoot, declares you as deputy, and goes off on his own when he goes to the Moonstone, then he changes back and we drag out his body where he'll be found dead later. The perfect plan."

"That depends on my apprentice's cooperation. And last time I checked, we weren't exactly on the friendliest terms."

"Then maybe you need to be nicer to your apprentice. We need him on our side."

Sageplet howled in frustration. "Don't tell me how to handle my apprentice! And when you were doling out powers, you couldn't have given them to a cat who actually likes me. You had to give them to my good-for-nothing apprentice who doesn't give two rat's tails about his training! He doesn't even know how to kill yet!"

He was going to teach me how to kill? What would be next, how to get away with trespassing and stealing prey?

I leaned in to hear more. Leopardscar stayed calm as he meowed, "Then maybe this plan will work if we accommodate to your apprentice's needs. How about-"

He was cut off as I woke up to a scared light gray face. "Rainpaw! I was having a really..." I broke off, remembering no one was supposed to know about Leopardscar's conquest.

"Dreams don't matter. I need as much help as possible for this. Both Silkfern and Wrenflight are kitting at the same time!"

**Oakpaw**

"Aaah!" Panting. "Arrgh!" Sighing.

Silkfern and Wrenflight took turns having spasms and shrieking as Poppynose and Rainpaw worked tirelessly to meet the queen's needs; bringing sticks and fetching water. I stood off to the side for a while before anybody noticed me.

When Poppynose finally told me to do something, the queens were in what was probably the worst of their pain. I sprang up, hoping for an escape like bringing fresh-kill for the medicine cats to keep them energized, but no.

"Silkfern's kitting now. When a kit comes, lick the fur the wrong way to warm them up." Fox dung! Really?

As soon as her back was turned to instruct Leafpaw, who was helping Wrenflight, I made a face. Licking newborn kits? Why did Rainpaw have to choose me?

"Graah!"

"Aaggh!"

I unsuccessfully tried to cover my ears. The nursery couldn't hace been louder, with Poppynose yelling directions at Leafpaw, Rainpaw doing the same to me, and the queens yelling their heads off.

A tiny wet bundle slid onto Silkfern's nest, and Rainpaw looked at me expectantly. This was the moment I had been dreading: licking a slimy, disgusting kit. I hoped to never be stuck with some of my own.

Once the kit was "warmed up", I gave him to Rainpaw, who thrust another tom-kit into my paws.

I remember hearing once when I was in the nursery that queens usually have two to four kits. They could have one or five, but it wasn't as common. But of course Silkfern had to have a whopping five kits, while Leafpaw licked only the two Wrenflight had. It'll take me moons for me to get five kits' worth of slime off my tongue.

**Oakpaw**

That night, I attempted eating a pigeon. It still tasted like kit slime, but not as much as the hare I ate earlier. (I couldn't keep it down and got myself confined to camp for a quarter moon by Poppynose.)

I lifted my full and sleepy body up and headed toward the apprentice's den, where I sank into a deep sleep.

The dark clearing what's the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes. Leopardscar sat there staring at me with his cold gaze.

"Let's learn some battle moves, shall we?"

"But I already know battle moves."

"You don't know these."

"Fine. But only because I want to become a better warrior, not for your twisted plan."

Leopardscar turned his head and yelled into the trees. "Come on out!"

The two kits I recognized who had powers emerged from the forest. "Mosskit and Adderkit, right?" I asked.

The black tom explained, "We both became apprentices yesterday. I'm Adderpawnow."

"Oh." I ducked my head in embarrassment.

Upon closer inspection, Mosspaw had a nick in her ear that looked like she had been in a scuffle, despite the fact that she was a new apprentice and would never have been taken to a battle. I recalled a time when I was a half-moon into my training and Sagepelt refused to bring me. Back then he actually made me feel like a good apprentice, but it couldn't last, hence his conversation last night.

She noticed me staring and shrugged. "I got in a fight with a mouse-brained apprentice. No big deal."

_It makes her look fearsome_, I thought. _Fearsomely attractive._

What was I thinking? I was from a different Clan!

Leopardscar called us to attention. "First we're going to try a basic move called-" The black speckled tom interrupted himself to stare at Adderpaw. Or rather, where he was.

"He just woke up. Probably his first dawn patrol. Now-" Mosspaw disappeared as well.

"One-on-one time. Great. So-"

It was my turn to disappear. I woke to Goldenfoot standing over me this time.

"Applestar wants you for a Clan meeting."

_A Clan meeting at well past moon-high? What's happening?_

As I exited the den, everyone stared at me. Applestar began the meeting immediately.

"Now Oakpaw. About your powers."

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**Thanks for reading! Please comment if you have any questions or feedback. If you have an account, I will also pm you a response. If not, I'll do it next chapter. Chapter 10 will be in the perspective of Streamripple.**


	9. Chapter 8

**Thank you to all of my reviewers! I received several reviews between the time I put up Chapter 9 and when I put this up so I'll respond to all of them, no matter which chapter they were on.**

**bandito153 - Thank you so much! I can't take all of the credit for the storyline though, my friend with the username Mossbush is the original author.**

**PurpleRose114 - I am trying to go through the other chapters and fix all the typos and change the rest of the story to first person. I also would like to get a beta reader, it would save me a ton of time.**

**paris dream - Thank you!**

**Also I lied last chapter when I said the pov is just Streamripple. This one has multiple pov's, which is why the chapter titles no longer have names in them. **

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**Streamripple**

Briarstar stared down at me with her deep chestnut eyes. They betrayed no emotions, but every other cat's did. Whether they were angry or sad or confused. they all had some hint of hatred in them, even Harepaw's and Olivebranch's.

"Streamripple, Tangleheart has told me a piece of information that I found quite interesting. Something that she had to tell all of the Clans about. Something that was too abnormal to wait until the next Gathering to share. As I speak, some WindClan cats are telling the other Clans about the 'special' cat in their midst."

Abnormal? Special? Mouse dung, she means our powers!

Tangleheart was the cat from WindClan who was promised leadership by Leopardscar. She must have ratted to Briarstar about all five special cats, probably so she could take my place as temporary deputy. Whether she included Leopardscar or not was still a mystery.

"Streamripple, do you care to come clean about your powers?"

I wanted to deny it so badly, to say I had no idea wheat I was being accused of, but the Clan leader's word is law, so I had no choice but to confess.

I told her all about how just a quarter moon ago, Harepaw responded to my command instantly after the words left my jaws before falling ill. I told her about seeing Leopardscar explaining to me in that dark clearing wheat had happened and what I had been given. And no matter how much I stressed to them that _I did not want these powers,_ not a single cat's expression changed in the slightest bit. Except Harepaw, who now had a glimmer of understanding in his eyes, but they were still cold and hard.

I looked up at the brown tabby for her response. She glanced around from her perch at the crowd of cats and their angry expressions.

Even seeing the feelings of those cats, I was not prepared fro what my past mentor would say to the Clan.

"I'm afraid you can't be apart of this Clan anymore. Because of your powers, this Clan will always see you as a monster."

**Mistyclaw**

It was hard to see Alderstar looking down on me with loathing, to see Slatefang's eyes burning with rage. I ducked my head to cut their stares from my line of vision.

"Mistyclaw, I feel really angry at myself. I let a freak of nature grow close to me and rise to the position as deputy."

"How did you find out about this?" I asked.

"Your sister told me. I just didn't believe her until Eagleflight of WindClan took the time to tell me. Their warrior Tangleheart discovered there was a cat from each Clan with strange abilities and notified her leader as any responsible cat would do. Briarstar sent out four warriors to warn the other Clans, and that's how we got here."

Tangleheart. Why did that name feel familiar?

"Monster!"

"Freak!"

"Piece of fox-dung!"

"Leave this Clan and never return!" I recognized Lizardcloud's gravelly voice. It stung to hear what my father really thought of me.

The next moment, I felt claws in my side and everything went black.

**Mistyclaw**

I woke up in what I assumed to be the medicine den, because it was covered in sections filled with leaves. My side felt like it was on fire.

Badgerbranch's head popped into my line of sight. "You're awake! That tom really shredded you. You're lucky to be alive."

With a start, I realized those were the exact words from my vision.

"Wha... What tom?"

"Slatefang. After you were bombarded with insults, he launched himself at you. Alderstar wanted to just leave you to die in the forest, but I snuck you in here. You'll stay here for the night, then I'll move you to a hollow tree that I use to quarantine patients with horrible diseases."

"Won't I get the diseases?"

"I wipe the tree with a wet piece of moss each time I use it. I'm a medicine cat, so I should know about keeping things sanitary."

This seemed pointless. "Don't worry about me, I can leave the territory and take care of myself," I assured him. I struggled to my paws and took a step.

"Three... two... one..." My paws failed, causing me to collapse. A claw of mine accidentally came unsheathed and split open my nose. Blood sprayed everywhere, leaving red flecks on the herbs.

"It'll probably be a half moon before you're healed. Then, I recommend you get as far away as possible."

**Adderpaw**

I know I should be scared for my life. ShadowClan was about to cast me out, and I, as a brand-new apprentice, would be shunned, with no knowledge of survival.

But was I scared?

No.

I was more embarrassed than anything. That moment when Sandstar called me out was worse than stumbling on my way to get fresh-kill or falling on my face when I tried to pounce in Sagepaw's training.

Speaking of the black and white she-cat, she received her warrior name: Sagepetal, along with her brother Thistlepaw, who was now Thistlefur. Stonepaw, her other brother, was still punished for nearly killing his sister, therefore he was not a warrior yet. Served him right.

Anyway, Sandstar had the heart to give me a last meal, traveling herbs, and a guide to the Thunderpath. I would be on my own after that.

As I consumed my lizard, Sagepetal glanced at me multiple times, but everyone else ignored me, even my mother. It was almost as if I was nonexistent.

Scratch that. Smoky approached me cautiously, like I was going to grow to the size of a tree any second.

"You know I can only heal myself faster, right? I'm not going to tear you to shreds with just my gaze."

"I know. Sandstar sent me to bring you to him. I'm glad he did, because I just want to tell you he is being mouse-brained to send you out."

"Thank you?"

"Also, I'm leaving too. There's a secret I've kept ever since I joined ShadowClan. Only Sandstar has a hint off knowledge about this." Lowering his voice to just barely above a whisper, the former rogue leaned into my personal space.

"I have powers too."

**Mosspaw**

"Although I can't help but feel betrayed, I've got to say, my hopes for you are still intact. You had your whole life in front of you. But that Leopardscar had to come again and ruin another life."

"Another?" What was Branchstar talking about?

Branchstar sighed. I could tell he regretted some things about this run-in with him even before he opened his jaws.

"Leopardscar was an interesting individual. Always says flirtatious and smooth. We both happened to fall in love with the same she-cat. Her name was Birchflower. He ended up winning the battle for her heart, but as soon as she birthed his first litter, that monster killed Birchflower and all of his kits but one for no known reason. That kit was Whiteflower."

My mother? "I'm related to Leopardscar?"

"Yes. I think you are more like Birchflower though."

"What was she like?"

"She was kind, beautiful, forgiving, and a hint of sass came out every once in a while."

"You must have really loved her."

"Oh, I did. Whiteflower was the only part of her I had left. Until you were born."

A guilty feeling rose up from my stomach. I had to tell the truth before Leopardscar did and made Branchstar hurt even more. As I averted my eyes, I muttered, "I killed Whiteflower."

"You what?" Branchstar's voice boomed.

"My power allows me to control the outcome of a battle. I worried if Whiteflower would die, and that ensured she would."

Instead of anger, unsheathed claws, and yells like I expected, Branchstar wrapped his tail around me and rested his cheek on my head. "I'm sorry you had to go through that and suffer the guilt. It was not your fault."

"Yes it was!" A brown tabby apprentice followed by a gray one and a white one took us by surprise. "Mosspaw," meowed the brown one, "I can't believe you'd kill our mother!"

"Daisypaw, I'd never purposefully do such a thing! Weren't you worried when Whiteflower leaped into battle? If you got those powers instead of me, she'd still be dead."

"I, unlike you, had faith in our mother. It was your "disbelief in her that killed her. Or was it the fact that you loathed her?"

"How could you even think of accusing her of that?" Branchstar came to my defense. "Who in their right mind would purposefully kill their own parents?"

"Exactly! She's not in her right mind!" Cloudpaw piped up.

I couldn't believe what my own littlermates were saying! Not a single cat caught up to me when I raced out of the camp.

Or so I thought.

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**If you've visited my profile and read it, you would know I have a prequel coming up soon called The Regrets of Leopardscar. It's about when Leopardscar was alive and what he did to seal his fate in the Dark Forest. I also will have a story titled Black Snow that has something to do with TTOL. I'll probably add them soon, so if you like TTOL, be on the lookout!**

**Thanks for reading! Please comment if you have any questions, feedback, or a favorite pov you would like to see more often. If you have an account, I will also pm you a response. If not, I'll write it on the next chapter. **


	10. Chapter 9

**Mosspaw**

I was halfway to the border, but a cream tom landed on me and pinned me to the ground. "Don't try and run away from RiverClan. You belong there."

"Really?" I grunted. "I thought I was a 'freak with powers' and a 'monster.'" The tom's grip loosened, allowing me to wriggle out from under him. "Was there another reason you came after me? Or was that it?"

Shellpaw shrugged. "I guess I just know you belong in our Clan."

"I can't go back. Daisypaw, Cloudpaw, and Graypaw will make sure of it." I turned to walk away, but Shellpaw spoke again. "Then I'll come with you."

"When was your first hunting lesson?" I questioned.

He gave me a glare. "I never got one, because you ratted me out to Branchstar. I spent yesterday cleaning out Moonsky's bedding. And when she had her kits, I licked the slime off."

"I bet Cloudpaw got a kick out of that."

"Oh yeah. But it was my turn to laugh when Moonsky scolded him for treating her like a kit because of her blindness. 'The stick to bite down on is right in front of your nose.' 'I lost my sight, not my sense of smell!'"

I laughed out of pity (it wasn't that funny) but snapped back to attention. "Anyway, you haven't learned how to hunt, so you'd just be dead weight."

"I do know some useful things!"

"Like what?"

"Every night since Cloudpaw started studying medicine, he'd tell Graypaw all of his knowledge while eating fresh-kill. I overheard and remembered everything."

"All two days of it, huh?"

"I could be our team's makeshift medicine cat, like you're a makeshift warrior."

Is he serious? I just had to wipe that smile off of his face. "Team? What do you expect us to do on this 'team'? Go and kill all who wronged us?"

"Of course n-"

"I'm out! Go back to RiverClan. Now, if you excuse me, I'm going to find all of the other cats who understand. Enjoy your first hunting lesson!"

I could tell that Shellpaw had more to say to me, but luckily, he had the sense to keep his jaws locked tight.

**Oakpaw**

The first thing after my expulsion that I knew I had to do was find Mosspaw. As a small cat, barely older than a kit, she would be extremely vulnerable to the grown warriors should they decide to harm her. Totally no other reason for finding her first.

The RiverClan border reeked of fish. Cats I recognized as Fishsplash and Cinderlight, along with their apprentices, were out patrolling.

"Um, hello, can I speak with Branchstar?"

Cinderlight scoffed, "Why does an apprentice have the right to demand an audience with our leader?"

"I would have become a warrior today, but Tangleheart..."

One of the apprentices, probably Cinderlight's, raised a gray-furred paw and swiped at the air as though trying to scare me. "You're one of those crow-food cats! Cinderlight, can I teach him a lesson? Please?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Graypaw, he's nearly twice your size. He'd tear you apart. Not to mention your complete lack of any battle move knowledge."

"Mouse dung!"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of light tabby fur and another of light brown. Fishsplash and his apprentice had left.

"But he's not too big for me," the gray warrior cackled. "Freak, are you ready to meet your doom?"

"A better question is, are you, Cinderlight?"

We turned to see Ottertail, the RiverClan "leader of the Rebellion." Gaypaw then left as he arrived.

"You're one to talk, giving us all false leadership promises!"

"What else am I supposed to do when an offer like that is shoved in my muzzle? Between my mate and I, we have one good eye, and I want to become leader for her and my newborn kits!"

"And how am I going to 'meet my doom' like you so dramatically stated?"

"If you step over the border to attack Oakpaw, you'd be trespassing on SkyClan territory, and they'd have every right to shred you."

Cinderlight flattened his ears and hissed. With his tail held high, he pranced out of the clearing. Ottertail and I were alone.

"How did Cinderlight know you were lying to him?"

A groan escaped Ottertail's jaws. "Mosspaw the fox-heart told him and my other minions how Leopardscar told me to lie to them, and now they won't work for me anymore, so I was told to hunt you... gifted cats down."

So he doesn't know Leopardscar lied to him too. "Actually, I came here just for Mosspaw," I told him. "Where is she?"

"Gone." Groan. "I need you to look with me," Ottertail meowed in a tone that told me this was not a request.

I tried to distract him, like I used to do when Sagefoot told me to clean the elder's bedding. "I heard you have kits. Congratulations! Have you decided on names yet?"

"Are you trying to distract me?" Oh, he's good. "But they're Drizzlekit and Rustkit. Now come on!"

As Ottertail dragged me away, I looked at SkyClan territory and it was the last time I would ever call it home.

**Adderkit**

Smoky and I had just crossed the Thunderpath when the ThunderClan patrol met us. They were not very large in number, but it could still be threatening.

"Sunfoot! Frostflower! Spottedpelt! Long time no see! Adderpaw and I were just passing through and then we will be out of your fur."

Smoky's boldness surprised both me and the patrol, but that didn't stop them from retaliating.

"Smoky, do you know who you are traveling with?"

"Of course that's the question you ask first, Sunfoot. Not, 'Why are you in our territory?' No, it's, "Why are you traveling with him?"

"Shut up, Spottedpelt."

Smoky rolled his eyes. "I know I'm traveling with 'Adderpaw the Powerful' and we need to get away from the Clans," he intervened.

Frostflower spoke up this time, taking a skeptical tone. "Why couldn't you have gone the other way, so that you wouldn't cross other Clan territory? And, why are you going too?"

"Adderpaw can't survive on his own, and I have some friends who will help him. Now, have a good day, may StarClan light your path, blah blah blah." Guiding me with his tail on my shoulder, Smoky, started striding along the Thunderpath, leaving the three ThunderClanners way behind us with their jaws hanging wide open.

**Adderkit**

My paws became weak quickly. The sun slowly left us and night took over.

Smoky showed no sign of slowing down, even in the dark. He had pushed me to the RiverClan/WindClan border and we were now traveling, or in my case, dragging myself down the river.

Strangely enough, we met no other patrols until now. If we'd been on ShadowClan territory, there would be multiple patrols because we have always thrived in the dark. Sagepetal had always told of night hunting and patrolling and how amazing it is.

When my eyes finally got used to the dark, I saw a figure creeping up on us. "Smoky, we're not alone." My voice shook.

A silver she-cat pounced on me, pinned me to the ground, and held a claw to my neck. "What are you doing on WindClan territory?"

"Get off of him, Streamripple, he's just an apprentice."

Streamripple? "What are you doing here? I thought all of us were banished from our Clans."

"Adderkit?"

"Paw."

"Right. Well, as soon as I saw you, I thought I could take you back to camp, commanding you with my powers, and show Briarstar I was worth keeping."

"We're sorry about that. Now we really must be going-"

"Smoky!" I protested. "Can your friend help her too?"

The black tom closed his eyes and groaned, "Sure. Fine. She can come with us."

Streamripple looked relieved. "Thank you so much! I'll help you catch as much fresh-kill as you want for this journey-"

"No need," Smoky interjected, "we're almost there."

**Mistyclaw**

Sunfoot lay curled up in her nest amongst two squealing bundles. Alderstar watched them, bursting with pride. "Sunfoot, our kits are beautiful."

I woke with a start. Sunfoot... and Alderstar? The thought was too painful. The vision of the two of them just made me sick. "They deserve each other," I meowed out loud.

"Who?" Badgerbranch suddenly peeled away from the shadows and I jumped up on my paws. Unfortunately, I was not the ShadowClan kit with quick healing, so my wounds opened up and I collapsed with pain.

"Oh StarClan! I was planning to move you today too."

"I... can still... move..." Crawling across the hidden medicine den was quite a struggle, but I still made it to the exit.

The medicine cat moved in front of me, I have to wrap your wound first. Also, that's the front. Unless you want to get attacked again, let's go out the back exit.

When I'm hurt, I can be stupid and mouse-brained. This was just none of many examples.

The hollow tree was bigger than I expected. I could lay in it comfortably with room to spare.

I assumed Badgerbranch would tell me to get some rest and then leave, but he settled down on the ground next to the opening. Calmly and quietly, he asked, "Who deserves each other?"

"Wouldn't you like to know." I turned my back on him and groaned.

"Yes. Yes I would."

"Ugh. Sunfoot and Alderstar. I had a vision of their kits. Now, I'd rather be left alone."

Thank StarClan Badgerbranch obeyed.

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**I have started to write Black Snow, so that will come out soon.**

**I also got a Wattpad account that I share with my cousin. If you want to check that out, our username is crunchietaco.**

**Thanks for reading! Please comment if you have any questions, feedback, or a favorite pov you would like to see more often. If you have an account, I will also pm you a response. If not, I'll write it on the next chapter.**


	11. Chapter 10

**Streamripple**

Not all stereotypes are true. When Smoky and Adderkit took me into their expedition, it deeply confused me. The nursery tales about ShadowClan being mean and smelly had taken over my mind and I avoided them at Gatherings and called them fox-hearts behind their backs.

But these two weren't bad. They were helping me, taking pity on me because... Well... Groan, I'm like them. And their smell wasn't half bad once I got used to it.

We approached the mystery place Smoky was taking us to. "The Twolegplace?" I asked. "Have the toads you eat gotten to your head?" Gulp. That was mean. Oops!

Adderpaw glared at me. "We eat _lizards, _and if you're so unsure about Smoky's decisions, you can always leave!"

My silver jaws let a sigh come out. "Sorry. Smoky, how will this help us?"

Smoky replied, "This is where I grew up." That explained his name. "I have some friends here who will assist us."

"Kittypets?"

"Remember, you can leave now." Adderpaw's remark let feelings I'd hoped to keep down loose.

"Just shut up!"

Instantly, his mouth closed. He stood as still as the little Twolegs I've seen on their grass.

The remaining cat glared at me. "Streamripple, did you use your power of force on Adderpaw?"

"Fox dung, I did! I'm so sorry!" Smoky was calm, not as angry as I'd expected. I decided Smoky was just weird, end of story.

"How long does it take for this to wear off?"

"It took Harepaw about three days for him to recover completely, but Adderpaw's smaller and younger, so it could take longer." I touched Adderpaw's forehead, and he went limp on the manicured Twoleg grass.

Still showing minimal emotion, Smoky asked, "Could you command him to walk behind me until we get to my friend?"

"Adderpaw, get up and follow Smoky." The apprentice got up mechanically and stood behind Smoky, his nose just a whisker length from the older cat's tail tip.

"Now that that's settled," Smoky's dry voice sounded, "let's move on with our lives."

**Streamripple**

She was a pure white she-cat, her fur groomed so neatly and he whiskers were straight. I felt embarrassed with my silver fur matted in places and the battle scars on my flank. Smoky left us alone to go take care of Adderpaw and explain StarClan-knows-what to his rogue friend, Ghost.

Her sky-blue eyes glared at me, as though they were tearing me apart with her gaze. I hated the awkward silence, so I croaked out, "Hi."

She scoffed in a high pitched voice. "You even sound like a forest cat. I don't know how you survive without the furless brushing you every day and mirrors to look into to see your reflection. Not that you'd see anything good."

Is she really going to go at me like that? "At least we don't sit around all day, eating stuff that looks like fox dirt and not food with actual flavor!" Looking at her paws, I added, "And we have these things called claws to defend ourselves with."

"I know what claws are, you fluff brain! And who comes up with your names? Ghost told me there's a cat in LightningClan called Sneezeheart!"

"Unlike you, he has a good enough memory to know it's ThunderClan! And I'm also going to stay a she-cat, not go off to the cutter!"

"Oh, you!" The kittypet sprang on me, making a huge mistake. I dodged, sending her into a rosebush. The thorns left giant scratches on her face and she cried out in pain.

And that was the moment Smoky and Ghost decided to come back. They took one look at the kittypet cowering in the rosebush, and they turned to glare at me.

"I didn't do it! She wanted to jump on me, and I moved out of the way! Am I not allowed to defend myself from a cat who attacks me?"

Ghost rolled his eyes. "Defend means not scratching Bella, who doesn't know the first thing about fighting!" He turned to the white she-cat and rushed over to her, meowing, "Are you ok? Did the mean and ugly forest cat hurt you?"

"Hey, you're not looking too hot yourself," Smoky told his friend. It was true. The tom had a shredded left ear, several scars on his face and neck, and next to Bella, I could see his pelt was really dirty with mud and grime.

"She made me hurt myself! Waahh!" Bella made so much noise, it made me lose control again for the second time that day.

"Stop wailing like a kit and toughen up for once in your life, you lizard-brained daughter of a-"

"Streamripple!" Ghost tilted his head toward Bella, who had her mouth closed, but instead of a blank facial expression, she wore a smirk. "Also, just so you know, Bella is my daughter, and I did not appreciate that little comment!"

"Ghost," Bella spoke, unlike past recipients of my commands, "Do the scratches on my face make me look cool? I'll need them for when I join the Clans."

Her father was more than furious. "What did you do to her?"

Oakpaw

"Mosspaw! Mosspaw! Where are you?"

"We would have found her ny now if she wants to be found. Calling isn't going to do anything."

I groaned and turned around. Ottertail had chosen to cling to me like a burr, staying within a fox-length at all times.

"Can I search on my own? We'll cover more ground apart than together," I reasoned.

I might as well have suggested that I eat both of his newborn kits.

"No. You'd leave me on my own or worse yet, ambush me!"

"If I were her, I'd be hiding from the cat I was supposed to help become Clan leader. Leopardscar's plan is twisted and evil, and all of us want no part in it!"

He finally gave in. "Fine. But don't try to run away from me with her."

"Wouldn't dream of it," I lied.

I continued on. The ground was unpleasantly wet and with each step, my paws sunk into the ground. How did RiverClan live like this?

"Leave me alone, Shellpaw." A tiny mew sounded from behind a bush.

"Who's Shellpaw?" I asked. Mosspaw looked up at me, her sulk turning into such delight I almost let out a small purr.

"Oakpaw! How did you find me?"

"There's time for that later. Now, we have to run. Ottertail's looking for you too, but his intentions are more hostile!"

"That fox-heart. He only cares about his own family, and could give a fox's rear end for the rest of the Clan!"

"I hate him too, but we should run now, rant later!" As if to prove my point, Ottertail bellowed with rage as he ran into the area we were about to run from.

"Mosspaw! So kind of you to join us. Now, come along to RiverClan like a good kit. I need you for my plan. Oakpaw, how about you come too."

Was his good eye… twitching? And his breathing was short, making him sound like a dog when they pant.

Mosspaw crouched next to me. Too late, I realized she was going to attack Ottertail.

Mosspaw

I don't know what I was thinking. Then again, I haven't really "thought" for the last couple of days.

For starters, I had zero battle experience, with the exception of the little skirmish I had with Shellpaw.

I was also a good deal smaller than Ottertail.

But just before I leaped, a thought flew into my mind, and it was crystal clear.

I was going to win.

I can win. I can win. I can win! I had no control over my limbs as I pummeled Ottertail. I made him bleed so much that by the time he collapsed it was in a deep pool of his own blood.

I think I am going to like my power. With a nod of my head to tell Oakpaw to leave him, I walked away feeling happier than I had since I got apprenticed. Oakpaw followed, making sure to pick his jaw up from where it had fallen on the forest floor.

"What-how-where-" he stuttered.

"So where to?" I asked casually, like I hadn't just shown an incredible display of battle skills and beat a fully grown warrior without getting so much as a single scratch.

He shook his head to clear the daze he was in. "I'm never going to get over that. But anyway, we need to find the other cats like us. We'll have a better chance together than apart in these dark times."

"So… should we look in ThunderClan first? It's closest."

'Yeah. But we have to be on our guard. As far as the Clans are concerned, we have done something criminal."

Mistyclaw

I woke from another haunting dream of Sunfoot and her monstrosities of kits to hear loud in the underbrush. It sounded too big to be any type of prey, just about the size of a cat. Or two. Or even seven. I was too tired to care.

Until I heard the voices.

They sounded right outside the log I was curled up in. I was trapped inside, praying that they wouldn't find me.

And that wasn't even the worst part. I heard two cats, probably not in ThunderClan but still sounded familiar, Sneezeheart, Ravenflight, and of course, Sunfoot.

"As deputy of ThunderClan, I demand that you get off of ThunderClan territory." She's deputy now? Fantastic. Absolutely fantastic.

"We're just looking for a-"

"A kit. From our Clan. He wandered off."

"Oh?" This was Ravenflight. "Which Clan?"

The first one meowed "RiverClan," as the second one rasped, "SkyClan."

"Which is it?" Sneezeheart demanded.

"Idiots." I could just picture Sunfoot rolling her eyes. "They're two of the wanted cats. Take them to Alderstar. RiverClan and SkyClan have high rewards for them."

Those two were… Mosskit and Oakpaw. I would have loved to help them but given my current situation, I doubt I could have done anything more than give away my position, open my wounds, and most likely, get myself killed. But it didn't sound like they needed it.

Two screams identifiable as Sneezeheart's and Ravenflight's almost busted my ears. Sunfoot let out a noise that was a cross between a mew and a screech, followed by a slash of claws. The thought of Sunfoot being shown up compelled me to chance a look at the scene.

If I could have saved the scene, I would. Mosskit was… standing over Sunfoot, like she was the most powerful warrior in the world? How did she get that ability? I didn't care, as long as Sunfoot got what she deserved.

Sneezeheart and Ravenflight were running around like headless mice, going in all directions. They passed me twice each, and had they not been preoccupied, they would have noticed me, thankfully they didn't either time.

But I should have been more careful, because someone did.

"Mistyclaw, you must be stupid to think you can hide in ThunderClan territory." Alderstar stood right behind me.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Please comment if you have any questions, feedback, or a favorite pov you would like to see more often. If you have an account, I will also pm you a response. If not, I'll write it on the next chapter.**


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